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page
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'Scapino!'
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page 6A
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2016
SOUTH LANE AND NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
Village Green
up for auction
VOLUME 128 • NUMBER 51
Police
search for
suspect in
downtown
assault
C LASS OF '16 WRAPS IT UP
Ownership seeking 'other opportunities'
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
A
Cottage Grove landmark
will be up for auction
later this month.
A listing with online platform
Ten-X.com states that the Vil-
lage Green Resort and Gardens
will be the subject of an auction
that begins June 28 and ends
June 30, 2016. The 16-plus acre
resort and gardens was built in
1959, and at the time, it was the
fi rst fi ve-star hotel built in Ore-
gon. It boasts nine buildings and
72 rooms, four meeting rooms,
the reception/lobby area, restau-
rant, bar and lounge.
Last week, Tom Aura, Direc-
tor of Operations at Moonstone
Hotel Properties, the Cambria,
Calif.-based company that owns
the Village Green and six other
hotels, said that the resort has
been for sale for some time, add-
ing that the upcoming auction
will “not necessarily result in a
sale.” A price threshold must be
met to ensure a sale, he said.
“Everything is for sale,” Aura
said. “We’re looking to move
into a couple of different areas;
there are other opportunities
we’re looking at. If the Village
Green doesn’t sell, that’s fi ne,
too.”
Aura did not elaborate on the
“different areas” or “other op-
portunities” Moonstone may be
pursuing.
According to the auction list-
ing, the starting bid for the Vil-
lage Green will be $900,000, and
there is a $10,000 participation
deposit. However, Rick Lahkar
of Marcus and Millichap, the
principal broker for the prop-
erty, said the word “auction” is
itself a bit of a misnomer in this
case. He said that Ten-X.com
is an online platform that mar-
kets commercial real estate to
a worldwide audience, and as
such the auction is a new tactic
to try to reach a buyer.
“Because a buyer could be
anywhere, this gives all poten-
tial buyers an opportunity to
register online,” said Lahkar,
who added that there’s already
been interest shown in purchas-
ing the Village Green.
“Hospitality businesses have
done very well across the coun-
try lately,” he said. “When a
segment of industry does well
and somebody’s selling, you’ll
see a lot of interest in that prop-
erty. A lot of hotels have sold for
a good price lately.”
Lahkar added, though, that the
minimum bid of $900,000 does
not refl ect the price at which
Moonstone would agree to sell
the hotel. Lahkar declined to
name that fi gure (the online
listing shows a $3,500,000 sale
price for the Village Green.)
Speaking on behalf of Moon-
stone, Lahkar pointed out that
if the property doesn’t sell at
the price the company requires,
“nothing changes.”
“It isn’t a situation of any
stress that’s forcing them to
sell,” he said. “He (owner Dirk
Winter) feels that there may be
other people in a better posi-
tion to take the property to the
next level. We hope the Village
Green sells to a good buyer that
can do it justice.”
Rumors that the Village Green
may have been on the verge of a
sale to a company that intended
to turn the resort into a truck
stop in 2010 mobilized many in
Cottage Grove to band together
to save the hotel. The City of
Cottage Grove reached out with
a loan to help renovate many of
its rooms; the renovation was
later completed without a gov-
ernment loan, and the purported
sale never materialized.
Vigil scheduled Tues.
in response
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
photo by Sam Wright
Benjamin Bauml delivers the fi rst speech of the valedictorians to the class of
2016 and proud friends and family.
Seven valedictorians lead
CGHS grad class
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
I
t was a sunny day at Cot-
tage Grove High School’s
football stadium, and the sun-
light refl ected off of the bright
blue caps and gowns of the
graduates assembled on the
fi eld in front of hundreds of
friends and family fi lling the
stands and crowding the fi eld
around them.
Saturday saw 186 gradu-
ating seniors from Cottage
Grove, with seven valedictori-
ans and four salutatorians. The
valedictorians this year were
Scott Anderson, Benjamin
Bauml, Carrie Calkins, Carol
Crum, Maeve Dahlen, Jaylene
Forrester and Shelby Kidd.
Principal Iton Udosenata
welcomed all the guests and
made comments about the
class of 2016.
“This class has seen a lot
of change during their time
in high school, including the
arrival of myself,” Udosenata
said. The class has seen a
whirlwind of change at the
high school in terms of staff
and even the implementation
of lockdown drills. However,
Principal Udosenata didn’t
linger on these changes and
instead focused on the success
Please see CGHS, Page 11A
Kennedy High salutes its 'cornerstones'
BY SAM WRIGHT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
S
aturday was a day of
celebration for many
young adults here in Cottage
Grove. Seniors of the Al Ken-
nedy Alternative High School
and Cottage Grove High
School received their diplo-
mas or GED equivalents.
While both ceremonies
celebrated the same types of
achievements, each had its
own twist.
Kennedy High School’s cel-
ebration kicked off at 10 a.m.
at the OLPH Catholic Church
Community Center. Friends
and family fi lled the function
room to watch the 34 gradu-
ates receive their diploma.
The entire event high-
lighted and celebrated how
the students had to overcome
unusual obstacles and life cir-
cumstances and have now set
their lives on the path to suc-
cess. April Sherrod was one
of the student speakers who
exemplifi ed this fact.
“I had came from a life of
poverty and a poor family
environment,” she explained.
“Now I stand here as a high
school graduate.” Sherrod also
received multiple scholarships
for her future education.
Please see KENNEDY, Page 11A
Sunshine General Store marks 40 years on Main Street
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
F
resh out of hyssop? Got a recipe that
calls for kava kava root? Running low
on coltsfoot or comfrey?
For decades now, the store at 824 Main
Street in Cottage Grove has been a premier
outlet for such items, and this week (Tues-
day, June 14, to be exact) its owner will cel-
ebrate exactly 40 years of business in this
community.
Yes, it was on that date in 1976 that Gor-
don Beaman, owner of Sunshine General
Store, purchased the store called the Dande-
lion at the same location and, along with two
partners, began offering natural foods and
herbal remedies with a side of free advice.
Beaman has been the sole owner at Sunshine
since the mid-80s, and he said many of the
wood fi xtures and the dairy cooler at the
store remain from those early years.
Beaman moved to Oregon from Mary-
land, and he said he was looking for work
in Eugene when the store in Cottage Grove
came up for sale. The rest, as they say, is his-
tory, and Beaman said he’s witnessed many
changes on Main Street and throughout Cot-
tage Gove in his time here.
Customers at Sunshine can discover bulk
herbs and spices, honey and other items that
are hard to fi nd in town, in addition to fresh
produce as the season dictates and locally
made Farmhouse bread. And customers of-
ten receive more than they bargained for
with their purchase.
“We try to provide information on the
products we offer,” Beaman said. “We have
reference books that we can consult to help
customers make healthy choices and change
their lifestyle.”
Most people, Beaman said, are aware of
the changes that need to be made to live a
healthier lifestyle.
“All of us fall short, myself included, but
with a little help, we can move in a new and
Please see SUNSHINE, Page 11A
photo by Jon Stinnett
Gordon Beaman celebrates 40 years in business at Sunshine
General Store on June 14.
ottage Grove Police said
Monday that they’re con-
tinuing the search for the suspect
believed to be responsible for
assaulting a 27-year old Cottage
Grove man over the weekend.
Detective Doug Skaggs said
that the victim was walking
home from the Grove Tavern at
about 3 a.m. Sunday when he
encountered a couple walking
in the other direction near the
intersection of Sixth and Adams
streets. As the couple walked
past, Skaggs said the man began
loudly accusing the victim of
“touching his girlfriend’s butt.”
The man allegedly then began
assaulting the victim, knocking
him to the ground and punch-
ing him, using gay slurs while
the man’s girlfriend screamed
for her boyfriend to stop. An en-
try in the Cottage Grove Police
blotter states that the victim was
also kicked while he was on the
ground.
Skaggs said the girlfriend
was eventually able to pull her
boyfriend off the victim, who he
said was unable to give a very
detailed description of the as-
sailant to police. The suspect is
described as in his 20s, about
six feet tall, with short hair and
a medium build. There was no
description of his clothing. The
girlfriend was described as be-
ing about the same age but with
dark hair.
Skaggs said that “luckily, the
victim wasn’t hurt too badly.”
Police continued to attempt to
contact neighbors who may
have witnessed the incident on
Sunday and Monday, he said,
and returned to bars in the area
to see if anyone may have men-
tioned the assault.
“Unfortunately, we’re at a
loss without much of a descrip-
tion,” Skaggs said. “The suspect
isn’t going to come forward, so
we hope somebody else does.”
Skaggs said he was unsure if
the incident was a “hate crime”
but confi rmed that multiple gay
slurs had been used. Meanwhile,
supporters of the victim were re-
portedly joining the Community
Alliance of Lane County and
the Rural Organizing Project in
planning a vigil for the victim
of this assault and the victims
of a deadly mass shooting in
an Orlando, Fla. nightclub over
the weekend. The vigil, billed
as “Standing Together Against
Hate,” was planned for 5 p.m. at
All-America City Square, also
known as Opal Whiteley Park,
at the corner of Seventh and
Main streets downtown.
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